Snail Problem

[joey_d1119]

Hello,
Ive noticed little snails in my freshwater planted aquarium. What can I do to get rid of them? Are they any fish I can buy to eat them, I have a 10 gallon tank with one african dwarf frog. What about snail remover supplies at the petstore?
Joe

 

[OrionGirl]

Snail remover will be bad for the frog. Instead, control snail populations by reducing feedings, and increasing cleaning--the snails reproduce more in high nutrient tanks.

 

[Aries]

I agree with OrionGirl. I do not like putting chemicals in my tanks to control something (like algae or snails). Keep it clean - very clean and the snails will die off. Personally, I like to have a few snails because they do clean. Plus if I am in a pinch - they make good food for other tanks.

I dont think there are many fish you can put in a 10G with a african dwarf frog that will eat the snails (the ones I know of are either too big for a 10G or too aggressive for your ADF). How about a Dwarf Puffer...JUST KIDDING. Dont put a DP in there, it will hurt/kill the ADF.

My fiances betta "seems" to eat snails - really dont know for sure but the snail population seems to be controlled quite well.

Try to remove any seen snail eggs you can find. Looks like a clear gel patch with spots usually on plants or ornaments. This will help in reducing new snails from coming. If the existing snails have little to no food to breed on, they will not breed - thus reducing your population.

Good Luck

Aries

 

[OrionGirl]

Bettas will consume small snails, and are very happy to eat snail eggs. Again, though, adding a fish just treats the symptom of a problem, rather than the actual problem.

 

[tomm10]

You can try keeping the tank cleaner and reducing feedings. I've never had much luck with this method alone though. You can also create a snail "trap" pretty easily.

Take a film canister or one of those really tiny, disposable gladware containers and rinse it out thoroughly so you're not getting any chemicals into the tank. Poke a hole in the cover big enough for a snail o get into but no bigger.

Place an algae wafer, shrimp pellet, or a piece of cucumber in the container and sink it in the tank. You may have to throw a few stones or someting in as well to help weigh it down. Leave it there overnight. Remove it the next day, pitch the snails, and set it in again. It should work to remove a lot of them at first anyway.